CROATIA are hoping their golden generation can enjoy one last hurrah in their silver years as they warm up for Euro 2024 with a friendly against North Macedonia.
Having reached a final and a semi-final at their last two World Cups, there's a definite sense Croatia are past their best with the likes of Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic coming towards the end of their careers.
While the Croats have dazzled on the biggest stage of all, they've disappointed a little at the Euros, bowing out in the last 16 at the last two tournaments.
They will want to put that right in Germany this summer and this warm-up game with North Macedonia will give them a chance to build some momentum.
North Macedonia caused a stir by qualifying for Euro 2020 then sprung a shock by beating Italy in the play-off semis for the last World Cup before losing to Portugal.
But they haven't qualified for this summer's finals and are unlikely to upset Croatia in this game with most of their players already dreaming of their summer holidays.
How the bookies view it: Croats the red-hot favourites
With North Macedonia having nothing to play for, it's no surprise to see them as 10/1 outsiders at Bet365. Croatia are just 1/3 and the draw pays 7/2.
Recent head to head: Not much Macedonian cheer
This is the first time Croatia have faced North Macedonia under their current moniker, which was adopted in 2019. But the faced the artists formerly known as Macedonia eight times, winning five of those games and losing just once.
The last meetings came in the World Cup qualifiers back in 2012 with Croatia winning 1-0 at home then 2-1 on the road.
Players to watch: Kramaric still going strong
Veteran Andrej Kramaric was Croatia's main man for goals in Euro qualifying, netting four times. The Hoffenheim forward, now 32, should lead their line at the finals and he's 7/5 for anytime scorer in this friendly.
Bojan Miovski could be on the move this summer after a brilliant season in front of goal for Aberdeen. The striker will be looking to catch the eye of potential suitors and is 9/2 for a goal.
Probable line-ups
Zlatko Dalic will want to get a look at most of the players in his squad but should start with a pretty strong team. Opposite number Blagoja Milevski might use this friendly to experiment a little.
Croatia: Livakovic. Stanisic, Gvardiol, Sutalo, Sosa, Brozovic, Vlasic, Modric, Kovacic, Kramaric, Ivanusec
North Macedonia: Dimitrievski, Alioski, Serafimov, Dimoski, Iljazovski, Elmas, Atanasov, Elezi, Churlinov, Miovski, Ristovski.
Anything else catch the eye?
This game is all about getting ready for the finals so I'd be surprised if we saw a lot of goals. Under 2.5 strikes is priced 19/20 but betting against BTTS is much shorter at just 4/7.
Teams often pass with little purpose in friendlies so it could pay to be against corners as well. However, I've yet to see any prices for that market.
There's not many options for punters given this is just a friendly but Bet365 do have some prices on goals being scored outside the box. Midfielder Nikola Vlasic has a decent scoring record and is 10/1 to net from 18 yards or more.
This International Friendly match between Croatia and North Macedonia will be played on Jun 3, 2024 and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best Croatia vs North Macedonia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
